RESEARCHe Unknown Guppy Big sh in a little pondIn Gordon We TrustUWI stands behind JehueIm going to get a doctorate in four years, says Jehue Gordon on the day before he leaves Trinidad and Tobago to head to England for the Olympic Games. But one thing at a time. For now, his head is focused on the immediate goal. Gold. So what is his state of mind? I feel very relaxed, not too excited, more looking forward to practice now, more than ever, he says. We are going to be training twice a day, and as London gets closer, about two weeks before my event, he says, it will come down to once. As he heads o to the training camp in Cardi, Wales, he says his condence is at per cent. Im not concentrating on time, because this is the Olympic Games, once you win gold, time is not so important. To me, going is a dream come true because every athlete dreams to go to the biggest stage. In football it is the World Cup, as a track and eld athlete, the Olympic Games is the starlight show and it can only mean good things to come. Jehue, who has just completed the second year of his Sports Management degree at e UWI, was at the St. Augustine Campus where Principal Professor Clement Sankat oered UWIs best wishes and a token of support. Dont wish me luck, he warned, that suggests that this thing is about chance, like Play Whe; this is about preparation and putting out your best. And he certainly does that. INCOMINGOut of the Shadows New Dean says its time to shineOUTREACHAwards for Blue Teddy How a community breaks wallsPHOTO: ANEEL KARIMJehue Gordon will compete in the Mens 400m Olympic Hurdles. e events will run on Friday August 3, Saturday August 4 and Monday August 6. OUTGOINGe Exit Interview Dean talks about the Faculty split

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SUNDAY 29TH JULY, 2012 UWI TODAY 3 At the end of the academic year, it is good to review what we have done. Overall, I am gratied as I look back and would like to briey share some of the many accomplishments of this St. Augustine Campus. My main aim has been to build on our accomplishments and enhance our competitiveness by focusing on Responsiveness; Relevance; Responsibility and the Repositioning of the Campus. Despite the challenges we face, the Campus continues to make strides towards improved quality and capacity. We completed the processes to create two new Faculties: a Faculty of Food and Agriculture and a Faculty of Science and Technology. We are also working on establishing a Faculty of Law during the 2012-13 academic year. New Departments have also been created for Modern Languages and Linguistics as well as Literary, Cultural and Communication Studies in the Faculty of Humanities and Education; and a Department of Geography in the Faculty of Science and Technology. Our Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has received accreditation for ve of its programmes from international accreditors. e programmes: BSc Civil Eng; BSc Civil with Environmental Eng; MSc Civil Eng; MSc Civil with Environmental Eng, and MSc Construction Management have been deemed compliant with the UK-SPEC. e MSc Construction Management programme stands out as it is the rst time it has been accredited in the history of the Department. Additionally, the following programmes received reaccreditation: BSc and MSc programmes in Chemical and Process Engineering; MSc in Petroleum Engineering; BSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering; all undergraduate programmes of the Department of Mechanical Engineering as well as the MSc Production Engineering, MSc Production Engineering and Management and MSc Engineering Management and the BSc in Geomatics. I also noted with considerable satisfaction the visit of a CAAM-HP (Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions) Team to look at re-accreditation of our programmes in the Faculty of Medical Sciences and just received news of the accreditation of the MBBS programme for a full term of ve years. ese recognitions signify that even as our student numbers increase, we continue to deliver quality programmes that meet international standards. is is something we are indeed proud of as we continue to work hard to give our students the best possible academic grounding in preparation for the world of work, further research, entrepreneurship and life, in general. It has been a good year, and as we give thanks, we also continue to work steadily at transforming our Campus and enhancing our competitiveness for the future.CLE M ENT K. S A N KA TPro Vice Chancellor & Principal EDITORIAL TEAMCAMPUS P RINCIPAL Professor Clement Sankat D IRECTOR OF MARKETING AND C OMMUNICATIONS Mrs. Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill EDITOR Ms. Vaneisa Baksh CONTACT US The UWI Marketing and Communications Ofce Tel: (868) 662-2002, exts. 82013 / 82014 Or email: uwitoday@sta.uwi.edu Much to be proud of FROM THE PRINCIPAL Construction of a Centre for Workforce Research and Development (CWRD) is vital for our countrys development, said Professor Clement Sankat, St. Augustine Campus Principal. As he welcomed guests to the sod-turning on July 10, Professor Sankat said the CWRD will focus on harmonizing, standardizing and coordinating labour market. In a time of global recession and increasing competition, this type of research and analysis is of critical importance, he said. If our Caribbean countries are to become more competitive, we will need to anticipate market trends as well as human capacity and workforce needs, while at the same time, addressing our systematic vulnerabilities as smallisland developing states. e UWI and the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training (MTEST) will construct the Centre at the St. Augustine Campus where it will support labour market analysis, human resource programme planning, occupational information systems development and general research on employment and training policies and systems said Mr. Rodney Amar, Education Projects Specialist at MTEST in his remarks. Senator Fazal Karim, Minister of TEST gave the feature address and told listeners that this project had been one of his when he worked at e UWI. His vision was that it would be an open door for any student to walk through and nd out exactly what opportunities are available in the economy. The Centre was conceptualised in 2008 in the Office of Research Development and Knowledge Transfer, then called the Business Development Office, as a means of creating a regional storehouse of labour market information producing labour market surveys, tracer studies of graduates, skills gap analysis and assessments of demographic and attitudinal proles of the workforce, particularly as they relate to the movement of skilled persons within the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. Funding for construction was granted by the Ninth European Development Fund (EDF) and completion is expected by November.W O RKFO R CE RES EAR CH CENTRE UNDER WA Y CAMPUS NEWSHaving turned the rst bit of sod, Senator Fazal Karim, Minister of T ertiary E ducation and Skills T raining, passes the shovel to Professor Clement Sankat, St. Augustine Campus Principal, for him to do his bit at the sod-turning ceremony for the Centre for Workforce R esearch and D evelopment at the St. Augustine Campus on July 10. If our Caribbean countries are to become more competitive, we will need to anticipate market trends as well as human capacity and workforce needs, while at the same time, addressing our systematic vulnerabilities as small-island developing states.

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4 UWI TODAY SUNDAY 29TH JULY, 2012 CAMPUS NEWS The Caribbean Accreditation Authority in Medicine and the Health Professions (CAAM-HP) has accredited e UWIs range of medical programmes for the period 2012-2017. e complex exercise required collaboration among UWIs three Faculties of Medicine on its residential campuses at Mt Hope, Mona and Cave Hill, and its Bahamas Clinical Medical programme, to allow for institutional accreditation as a single UWI School of Medicine programme. Accreditation reviewers commended the institution on its dra Strategic Plan and its approach to a multi-campus, multi-territory university, and noted the great potential for innovation and diversity among the campuses, while achieving common assessments and outcomes. Others strengths noted by the review team included a committed, motivated and collegial faculty; strong and effective leadership by Dean and Directors; a good patient mix; and importantly, well-trained graduate output. e Medical faculty is a agship UWI programme since the inception of the regional institution in 1948. e CAAM-HP itself was reviewed in 2011 by a team from the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER), and was Medical Programmes Accreditedgranted recognition in May 2012 for a ten-year term. A new policy announced on September 21, 2011 means that eective 2023, physicians applying for ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, the body responsible for certifying international medical graduates who wish to enter graduate medical education programmes in the USA), certication will be required to graduate from a medical school that has been appropriately accredited. To satisfy this requirement, the physicians medical school must be accredited through a formal process that uses criteria comparable to those established for US medical schools by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) or that uses other globally accepted criteria such as those put forth by the WFME. e CAAM-HP accepted the invitation to be the rst accrediting body reviewed in this pilot process which involved completion and submission of the Criteria for Recognition of an Accrediting Agency Questionnaire. In addition, a four-member observer team of representatives from the WFME and FAIMER accompanied the site visit team to St Georges University School of Medicine to Grenada and six hospitals in the New York region CAAM-HP is the rst accrediting body recognized through this new process.During its 2012 round of graduation ceremonies which begin in October and continue through November, The UWI will confer a total of 20 honorary doctorates, eight of them at St. Augustine. The following persons, who have distinguished themselves in their respective careers and public service, will receive honorary degrees: UWI ST AUGUSTINEMr Ronald Harford Banker, Trinidad & Tobago .................................... LLD Father Clyde Harvey Theologian, Trinidad & Tobago ........................... LLD Mr Alloy Lequay Politician, Sports Administrator, Trinidad & Tobago ................................................... LLD Mr Davan Maharaj Journalist, Trinidad & Tobago ............................ DLitt Mrs Maureen Manchouck Public Servant, Administrator, Trinidad & Tobago ................................................... LLD Mr Michael Mansoor Banker, Trinidad & Tobago .................................... LLD Mrs Therese Mills Journalist, Trinidad & Tobago ............................ DLitt Mr. Deokinanan Sharma Engineer, Cultural Activist, Trinidad & Tobago ................................................... LLD UWI MONAMrs Valerie Bloomeld-Ambrose Sculptor, Art Educator, Painter, Jamaica/USA ........................................... DLitt Dr George Eaton Trade Union and Labour Educator, Jamaica/USA ............................................................. LLD Mr Lowell Hawthorne Philanthropist, Entrepreneur, Jamaica ............. LLD Mr Vincent HoSang Philanthropist, Entrepreneur, Jamaica ............. LLD Professor Emeritus Errol Miller Public Servant, Educator, Jamaica ..................... LLD Mrs Joyce Spencer Administrator, Service to the Spirit Industry, Jamaica ............................ LLD Professor Emeritus Hugh Wynter Researcher, Educator, Jamaica ............................ DSc UWI CAVE HILLMr Anthony Mighty Gabby Carter Singer, Song-writer, Musician, Barbados ................................................................... DLitt Mr Doudou Dine Entrepreneur, Senegal ........................................... LLD Mr James Husbands Entrepreneur, Barbados ........................................ LLD UWI OPENMr Adrian Augier Visual Artist, Poet, St Lucia ................................. DLitt Dr Lennox Honychurch Historian, Dominica ................................................ LLD These degrees will be conferred by UWI Chancellor, Sir George Alleyne at graduation exercises, beginning with the Open Campus ceremony, to be held in St Kitts on October 13, and moving across the islands to Cave Hill on October 20, St. Augustine from October 25 through 27, and Mona on November 2 and 3. As is customary, honorary graduands will address audiences at various graduation ceremonies.In June 2012, a delegation from Makerere University in Uganda, led by its Chancellor, Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera, visited e UWI St Augustine Campus. Makerere University is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of tertiary education in Africa, with a long history of accomplishments. Chancellor Kagonyera reminded that in the past Africa and the Caribbean had healthy academic ties and in particular, Makerere and e UWIs predecessor, the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA), which had enjoyed a strong relationship in the eld of Agriculture. He believes that the UWI would be a good starting point to rekindle this historical collaboration and so he worked with Trinidad and Tobagos High Commissioner to Uganda, His Excellency Patrick Edwards, to organize the visit. The delegation consisted of the Chancellor and Principals of the Nine Colleges of Makerere University who sought to identify areas of mutual interest and strength and areas for collaboration including research, student and sta exchanges. ey met with St Augutine Campus Principal, Professor Clement Sankat, and Deputy Principal, Professor Rhoda Reddock, as well as Deans and various Department Heads of the ve Faculties at the St Augustine Campus over a two-day period (as part of their ve-day mission to Trinidad). e two Universities have agreed to collaborate on specic projects, with the elds of Agriculture, Engineering and the Humanities being identied as the highest priorities. e International Oce at St. Augustine will take the lead in managing the process of developing the details for each project and coordinating their execution along with the relevant Faculties.20 HONORAR Y DOCT ORATESfor 2012A Visit from U ganda e two Universities have agreed to collaborate on specic projects, with the elds of Agriculture, Engineering and the Humanities being identied as the highest priorities.

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SUNDAY 29TH JULY, 2012 UWI TODAY 5 ENVIRONMENT Green computing or Green IT T is the environmentallyresponsible study, practice of designing, manufacturing and using of computers, servers, and associated peripherals (such as, monitors, printers, storage devices). It basically originated in 1992 when the US Environmental Protection Agency launched the Energy Star programme. e goals are reected in energy-ecient practices, reduced resource consumption and use of hazardous material, and proper disposal or recyclability of e-waste. Greener practices can be undertaken in the office or home. Use energy-ecient monitors, preferably, use liquid-crystal-display (LCD)/at panel monitors rather than cathode-ray-tube (CRT) monitors. CRT monitors generate heat, use about two to three times more energy and are not as safe, as they are inherently a mild X-ray source. Screen savers generally do not save energy; in fact, certain graphicsintensive screen savers can burn twice as much energy. As far as possible, try to do computer-related tasks during blocks of time, leaving hardware o at other times. Use the power-management features to turn o hard drives, displays and peripherals aer periods of inactivity as this can reduce energy consumption up to 60%. Place monitors and computers into standby or hibernate aer 30 minutes or so. To save even more, set monitors to enter low-power sleep mode aer ve to 20 minutes. is can cut energy use by up to 90%. In terms of power usage, use notebook computers rather than desktop computers whenever possible. Laptops burn about 20-30 watts of power. With a typical PC taking approximately 110 watts to run, and with well over a billion of them on the planet, its easy to understand why power management is important. Power down peripherals such as laser printers. Mandating the use of networked laser printers will not only help save the environment (paper, ink, chemicals, plastics) but can also help reduce costs. Set printers to print doublesided, which can cut paper usage by 25 per cent. Implement the feature that requires sta to walk to a printer and punch in a security code before the job prints. is eliminates waste because it makes sta think twice about whether they need to print. Solid ink printing is safe, toxin-free and recyclable and produces 90 per cent less waste than laser printing. Recycling computing equipment by responsible agencies can keep harmful materials, such as, lead and mercury, out of landlls. Computing supplies, such as paper, printer cartridges, and batteries may be recycled as well. Before recycling a computer, remove the hard drive and Shamin Renwick is Librarian III at the Alma Jordan Library, UWI St. Augustine.Put your computer to sleepBY SHAMIN RENWICKScreen savers generally do not save energy; in fact, certain graphics-intensive screen savers can burn twice as much energy.physically destroy it or store it somewhere safe. is is an important privacy issue as the previous users les can be retrieved using freely available soware. As PC usage increases globally, it is estimated that there will be more than two billion PCs in use by 2015. In knowing the facts about green computing, please encourage others to think green when using computer equipment.

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6 UWI TODAY SUNDAY 29TH JULY, 2012 VICE CHANCELLORS AWARDS 2012 Dr Grace Sirju-Charan of the Department of Life Sciences, UWI St. Augustine is one of the ve recipients of the 2012 Vice-Chancellors Award for Excellence (Teaching). UWI student gets GATES C AMBRIDGE SCHOLARSHIPA Grenadian student at The UWI is among 50 Gates Cambridge Scholars from 23 countries who have been selected to study at the University of Cambridge this October. Jill Paterson, who is completing a BA in English Language and Literature with Education at UWI St. Augustine, will pursue the MPhil in Theoretical & Applied Linguistics at Cambridge. Her work will involve a complete analysis of the Grenadian English Creole phonological system, the main spoken language of Grenada. In the 11 years since the scholarships began it is the third time a UWI student has been a recipient. According to the Gates Cambridge website, the 50 successful candidates were selected from a total pool of 4,500 applicants on the basis of their intellectual ability, leadership capacity, academic t with Cambridge, and their commitment to improving the lives of others. Departments in Cambridge ranked more than 350 candidates for the Scholarships and, of these, 110 were interviewed in late March at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. The Gates Cambridge Scholarship was established by the generosity of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, with the first class arriving in Cambridge 2001. There are currently over 1,000 Scholars and Alumni from over 90 countries. The UWI congratulates Ms Paterson on her success. T o Sir With L ove was the rst of many lms which influenced my teaching philosophy. Very early in my teaching and learning experience, I was imbued with the notion that some students were bright, designed to be academics while others were dull and incapable of higher learning. is lm debunked that myth and I began to see students dierently. e Kings Speech rearmed my philosophy that all students are capable of achieving more than they set themselves. However, in order to realise their potential, not only do they need self-discipline but they require a mentor who is able to motivate them to achieve their goals and to re-establish their resolve for success, especially when they encounter stumbling blocks. While I recognise the need for providing basic information and concepts of the particular discipline and I beam with pride when these concepts are understood, I receive my greatest reward through mentoring. Pedagogy is a word that entered my vocabulary recently. What a steep learning curve it was for me in 1997 when the Instructional Development Unit was established and I began participating in their workshops! I actually believed that excellent teaching came naturallythat some of us were born teachers. While I believe that ones teaching style is inuenced by ones personality type, I acknowledge the tremendous impact of learning about teaching on ones praxis. As a student, I learned best by listening, conrmed by the VARK learning style test which classied me as a mainly aural learner. I assumed that all students learned the same way and my mantra was that they should attend classes and listen to the lecturers. I am still wont to use the traditional chalk-and-talk pedagogy, deep-learnt from my own teachers, particularly when I am teaching science. However, through various workshops, Ive recognised that to cater for various learning styles and multiple intelligences, it is important to infuse traditional teaching strategies with new technologies. For science courses, which are larger classes, I still take a modied banking concept approach, with 75% of the time for lectures, and the rest for tutorials and lab sessions. However, for gender and bioethics courses, which are considerably smaller, I adopt the approach of critical pedagogy espoused by Paulo Friere, using tools of dialogic debates, case studies, role playing and journal writing, reection and critical thinking. A comparison of students reections and assessments of these courses showed that this was the preferable approach. eir comments were responses to the democratic way in which the classes are conducted, allowing all to speak and to be heard. I hope that in addition to equipping students with the concepts needed to create new knowledge in the discipline, DR GR ACE SIRJU-CHAR AN, a recipient of the Vice-Chancellors Award 2012Teaching is My JoyBY DR GRACE SIRJUCHARANFIVE O N THE HO NOUR R O LLL ater this year, the ve recipients of the 2012 ViceChancellors Awards for Excellence will be invited by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. E. N igel Harris, to an Awards ceremony at the Mona Campus in Jamaica. The annual VCs Award is presented in five categories, and this year, they go to D r Grace Sirju-Charan of the Department of Life Sciences, St. Augustine (Teaching); Professor E ddy Ventose, Faculty of Law, Cave Hill (Research Accomplishments); Professor Mark Figueroa, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Mona (Service to the University Community); Professor Zulaika Ali, Professor of Child Health, Neonatology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, St. Augustine (Public Service) and Professor Hazel Oxenford, Head, Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies, Cave Hill (Research Accomplishments and Contribution to Public Service). These Awards were inaugurated in 1993 under the Vice-Chancellor, Sir Alister Mc Intyre, to recognize high achievement by academic and senior administrative sta of e UWI. Each award, valued at US$5,000, is made aer an assessment and selection process, rst at the campus level, then at a University-wide selection Committee for the nal selection. is years awardees bring the total to 95 who have received this Award for Excellence. I am able to inculcate in them a joy for learning; recognition that learning never stops; to imbue in them a culture of democracy, ethical behaviour and inquiry; to be constantly striving for truth, equity, fair play and social justice. Despite being a teacher for almost 40 years, ve minutes before the start of a class, I still get that indescribable feeling, almost of euphoria produced by a rush of adrenalin and a mix of excitement and butteries in my stomach.Despite being a teacher for almost 40 years, ve minutes before the start of a class, I still get that indescribable feeling, almost of euphoria produced by a rush of adrenalin and a mix of excitement and butteries in my stomach.

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8 UWI TODAY SUNDAY 29TH JULY, 2012 What have been the most signicant developments in FSA in your time?ere were a number of developments which can be considered signicant, depending upon ones perspective, over the last eight years I had the pleasure of serving as Dean of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture. ose I mention should be viewed in the context of my belief that our Faculty, and by extension, the University in a developing society, has critical roles to play. rough various training activities, it should produce graduates with the necessary competencies to satisfy both present and future human resource needs. rough research development and innovation, it should solve problems; and additionally, through commercialization activities, it should keep our people ahead of competitors. is is critical in todays rapidly changing and highly competitive global community. In this overall context I view the following as signicant developments. e Faculty has witnessed a rapid expansion in access to its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes over the last ve years. Current total enrolment stands at just over 4,100, making it the second largest Faculty (just a close second to the Faculty of Social Sciences) on Campus. It is the largest of the three Science Faculties in the overall University. We live in a knowledge society and a knowledge economy, so it is not surprising that as a Faculty we have been focusing over the years at the graduate level on research degrees (MPhil, PhD) rather than on taught Masters degrees. I am a rm believer that our curricula must reect our present and future clients needs; as such, our Faculty has placed heavy emphasis on curriculum reform. Several new programmes have been introduced, and many revamped, during my tenure. (See Sidebar) One of the challenges facing our society is that aer graduating most of our students go out and seek employment. We need to change this paradigm. We need to train more of our graduates to go out and create employmentnot seek employment. Our Faculty has led our Campus in the very challenging area of fostering a culture of multidisciplinary research clusters, especially targeting specic national and regional problems over the last three years. I must say it is becoming infectious. Over the years we had a culture of carrying out our research in isolation and we recognized that we simply do not have the critical mass (human resource) or the physical or nancial resources to maximize its eectiveness. A survey of major innovations shows that these are occurring at the fringes of the disciplines (especially at the fringes of Science, Engineering, Mathematics and the Medical Sciences, coupled with Management). us if we are going to do research which can be transformative to our society we need genuine multidisciplinary research clusters which must involve the public and private sector and civil society. I am pleased that as a result of driving this initiative, our Department of Life Sciences secured over TT$ 10 million in external grants last year alone to fund a couple major research projects. is is a rst on the Campus. Too many of us feel it is the Universitys duty to fund our research. is is a myth which must be dispelled.Dean of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture, Professor Dyer Narinesingh has come to the end of his tenure, and as he leaves to make way for a Faculty that has now been split into twothe Faculty of Science and Technology and the Faculty of Food and Agriculturehe talks about his time as Dean, the rationale behind the separation, and the role of UWI in developing the regions food security. EXIT INTERVIEWThe road ahead must be paved by COLLABORATIONProfessor D yer N arinesingh Chemistry is my rst love. PHOTO: ARTHUR SUKBIR

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SUNDAY 29TH JULY, 2012 UWI TODAY 9 Dean of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture, Professor Dyer Narinesingh has come to the end of his tenure, and as he leaves to make way for a Faculty that has now been split into twothe Faculty of Science and Technology and the Faculty of Food and Agriculturehe talks about his time as Dean, the rationale behind the separation, and the role of UWI in developing the regions food security. Generally, agriculture is not considered attractive as a viable career option for young people. We failed to capitalize on the full benets of a genuine value chain approach to the agri-food sector it is only now being appreciated by policy makers). ere is a widespread perception regionally that UWI had marginalized agriculture by merging the Faculty of Natural Sciences with the Faculty of Agriculture in 1996 and so contributed to the demise of the agricultural sector. It is said that in politics perception is reality. ere was widespread dissatisfaction among academic sta in the School of Agriculture with the merger in 1996 and this persists. Our light manufacturing industries are essentially screw driver industries. We have not moved fast enough to further downstream diversication of our gas and oil beyond ammonia, methanol and urea. ere has been very little innovative product development. is seems to us the domain of more developed society, which is a misconception We need to capitalize on the full value chain approach to our agri-food sector. We need to let our youths realize that KFC, Marios, Rituals and the like, is agriculture. Agriculture is a business and as such is as worthy as any other profession. We need to focus on innovative product development and to see our market as 7.7 billion not 1.3 million or some small neighbourhood. We need to think globally. e successful economies of the future will be those countries which use knowledge to create wealth for the benet of all its peoples, not necessarily those with resources such as oil, gas, or other minerals. What should a faculty such as the FSA and by extension, UWI, do to address this situation? We have to see ourselves as part of the problem and we have to be part of the solution. I was convinced that our Faculty had a catalytic role to play in this transformation process. However, to do so we needed to reposition ourselves. Our organizational structure, our human resources, our curricula and our strategic direction needed to be re-directed if it were to be transformative. Aer almost two years of intense deliberations, we have reached the turning point of launching two new faculties: a Faculty of Science and Technology and a Faculty of Food and Agriculture from August 1, 2012. It is interesting to note that the Faculties of Pure and Applied Sciences at Mona and Cave Hill have also changed their names (and strategic direction) to Faculties of Science and Technology. Obviously we are doing something right.What were the biggest challenges as Dean?I basically thrive on challenges. It should be our motivating force. e major challenges were not necessarily personal challenges but Faculty/Institutional challenges, which still directly aected the eectiveness of my operation as Dean. One was in building a community of workers (academic, senior administrative and ATS sta) where the mantra is we create and we execute rather than they create and we follow/execute. e only way we can maximize the human capacity and creative potential of all our sta and students is to build a community or ecosystem of our constituents. is is not an easy task but as a Faculty, I would say we made signicant progress. Another challenge has been improving the eciency of our internal processes, especially the slow pace of using technology to improve the eciency of our operations. is needs to be addressed urgently. I hope I am not oending anyone when I say I have been pleading for the last two years for us to introduce a simple thing as online payment. I am convinced that our society simply cannot do business today the way we did it yesterday and we cannot do business tomorrow the way we do business today. I note with optimism that in its 2012-17 Strategic Plan, the University has placed internal operations as one of our six areas to address. What were your best moments?I thoroughly enjoyed my tenure as Dean. e most rewarding moments came when speaking to students who performed academically below expectations or who were facing personal challenges. I used these opportunities as a motivating forum, and they generally took place in the presence of parents. e eect was oen transformative. For instance, aer two hours of dialogue, one parent told me, Dean, I entered this room as one person and I am leaving it as a dierent person. e mother then embraced her son. As they le my oce, I did the same. Moments like these I will always cherish.What were your own research interests?I did my BSc and PhD in Chemistry at UWI. I actually turned down a foreign scholarship based on the advice of one of my lecturers. It turned out to be one of the best pieces of advice and I want to publicly thank Dr John Briody, my PhD supervisor for this. I immediately joined the academic sta in Chemistry and have been here ever since. I did many short stints of post doctoral research work for a number of years; rst at the University of Ottawa and then at Bioprobe International and Advanced Medical and Diagnostics Limited, biotechnology companies in California. My research interests are in the general area of biosensor technology: making use of immobilized bio-molecules (especially enzymes and antibodies) in developing sensors for quantifying important metabolites such as glucose, cholesterol, urea, as well as in environmental monitoring and bio-anity chromatography. Currently we are working on developing a proof of principle of an articial pancreas using entrapped insulin and glucose oxidase in a specially formulated electrically conducting polymer. In the process, I have published over 50 scientic papers in referred journals and successfully supervised many MPhil and PhD students to date. My tenure as Dean over the last eight years has seriously hampered my research activities. I hope that I will now nd the opportunity to go back to the bench!Where did Dyer Narinesingh come from?I was born in Arouca; the h of six children: four boys and two girls. My father was a farmer, who later trained as a chiropractor. He died at the tender age of 42. He was a strict disciplinarian who recognized the importance of education although neither he nor my mother ever had the benet of a secondary education. My mother was a housewife who devoted her life to caring for her six children as a single parent aer my father died. I attended the Arouca Government Primary School and Hillview College, and aer A-Levels worked for a few months before coming to UWI. My wife, Marion, died at the hands of a misguided youth in 1991, and since then I singly raised my three children: Dylan, a radiation oncologist, Marina, an environmental attorney, and Diana, who is specializing in psychiatry. My children have been my motivating force in life. On the day their mother was killed and I lay on the grass weeping, Marina, who was ten, put her arm around me and said, Out of the ashes we will rise again. ose words still ring in my ears and I need no other motivating force. The road ahead must be paved by COLLABORATION RECENT PROGRAMMES AT THE UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL BSc programmes in Computer Science; Information Technology; Actuarial Science; Optometry; a four-year degree in Agriculture (with a significant internship component); Majors in Geography; Tropical Landscaping and Minors in Sports Nutrition and Entrepreneurship. AT THE GRADUATE LEVEL Masters programmes in Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health (OESH); the Science and Management of Tropical environmentsnow replaced by the MSc in Biodiversity Conservation & Sustainable Development in the Caribbean, by distance; Agri-food Safety and Quality; a revamped MSC in Tropical Crop Protection; MPhils and PhDs in Geography and Human Ecology.Why split the Faculty of Science and Agriculture?We repositioned the Faculty of Science and Agriculture to better respond to the rapidly changing local, regional and global environment. e question has been repeatedly asked and will continue to be asked: what is the rationale for this drastic change? What were the prevailing environmental circumstances and the accompanying thought processes which led us toward this repositioning? First of all, it is widely recognized by CARICOM Governments (and globally) that Science and Technology and Food and Agriculture are critical to a diversied economy, and to the socioeconomic transformation of the region. As the premier TLI, funded by regional governments, we have to respond and this is what we are doing. In the western hemisphere, the Caribbean has the lowest level of food security. e food import bill is in excess of $4 billion. Historically, our agriculture has focused mainly on primary production of a few export crops. ere is an aging farming population in the region.

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10 UWI TODAY SUNDAY 29TH JULY, 2012 As a student of gender, Im always amazed at how intricately the gender concept can be adapted and how it aects every area of education and society. e Institute of Gender and Development Studies (IGDS), delivers interdisciplinary programmes that provide students with the background to promote social justice, and transform gender relations in the Caribbean. Gender based courses can be found in almost every department at the St. Augustine Campus, from Life Sciences, to Liberal Arts, Behavioural Sciences, and Agriculture. Gender courses are a great way to network across the campus. Because of the diversity these courses oer, students from every faculty can engage in gender courses and nd its relevance to their area of study Keizel Kydd, a PhD student in Chemistry, for instance, engaged in the IGDS project, a vacation camp for the Women Gender Water Network as Camp Director. e camp won the prestigious Atlantic LNG Sustainability Award for Corporate Responsibility. Awards open the door to opportunities for funding and the expansion of existing projects, allowing for further student involvement. It may not be common knowledge, but students can freely take part in projects carried out by the Institute. Warren Chanansingh has been introduced to gender courses while doing his BSc Psychology and Communication Studies (Double Major), and believes it has changed his life forever. e general public joined sta of the IGDS and R ostant DD B, to paint the pilot wall on Murray Street in Woodbrook, to kick start the Break the Walls of Silence Campaign, April 2011. e campaign won the Advertising Agencies Association of T&T Creative E xcellence Award for Best in Show as well as the Gold Award for Public Service: Multi Media Campaign. e Course that Changed My LifeBY WARREN CHANANSINGH CAMPUS NEWS As part of the Institutes Commitment to Outreach, UWI students were also heavily involved with the Break the Silence campaign to end child sex abuse. is campaign, symbolized by the Blue Teddy, allowed students to put the theory into action, winning several advertising awards for its impact, namely, e Advertising Agencies Association of T&T Creative Excellence Award: Best in Show, as well as the Gold Award for Public Service: Multi Media Campaign. To me, the fantastic thing about studying gender is its relevance to the real world. It puts students in a position of knowledge and power, so they can facilitate necessary social justice. For instance, Anusha Ragbir, a PhD student in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies, helped in facilitating a Public Forum on the Marriage Act, discussing the marital age of girls and women in Trinidad and Tobago. From legislature to health care, its impossible to remove gender studies from the mix. Sir George Alleyne, Chancellor of e UWI, said it well. To remove gender from consideration as an important social category is inimical to the health of both women and men. Health therefore cannot and must not be degendered. I daresay that applies to everything.

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SUNDAY 29TH JULY, 2012 UWI TODAY 11 CAMPUS NEWS Its been 35 years since you connected with The UWI as an undergraduate student in agriculture, and since 1985 when you joined the staff as a teaching assistant in the Zoology Department, youve been teaching at UWI almost continuously since then. For someone so young it is a long time and you would have seen many changes. In terms of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture, can you give an idea of what it was like when you rst met? As a student of the former Faculty of Agriculture, what I remember most clearly was that there were many regional and international students in our faculty. is has decreased in the past few years in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture, but the tide seems to be turning once again, thanks to admissions sta in the Registry and also the International Oce. As a member of sta in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture, classes were small and we knew the names of all our students. e number of degree options that students had in those days was relatively limited. What has been the most signicant development that took place while you were there? e most signicant development has been the increase in the number of students in the faculty and the UWI. When I was a student, the student population at UWI St Augustine was about 3,000. Now, in the new Faculty of Science and Technology, the student population is about 3,000, and 18,000 at the St. Augustine Campus. What shaped your interest in aquatic life? Was there some inuence from where you grew up? I have always been interested in aquatic life. I grew up in the village of Carapichaima in Central Trinidad. I lived about two miles from the sea and also spent a lot of time in Mayaro. My brother-in-law owned a shing boat and I spent a lot of time out at sea. As an undergraduate student, I met Professor Julian S. Kenny and he sparked my interest in Fisheries and Aquaculture. He was my PhD supervisor and had a great impact on my professional career. What do you think are the biggest challenges to the sheries or shing industry in the country and region? Our sheries are over-exploited and the biggest problem is over-shing. ere are simply too many boats and shers going aer declining sh stocks. is leads to overexploitation of the sh stocks and can result in collapsed sheries. We have seen this occurring in various parts of the world. Pollution and destruction of critical habitats are also serious problems. The incoming Dean of the new Faculty of Science and Technology is Professor I ndar Ramnarine, a Zoology Professor (Fisheries Management and Aquaculture). Professor Ramnarine who has studied various aspects of sh biology and has done much research on cascadu and tilapia, is also Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Marine Aairs. He shared some of his views on the role he takes up ocially on August 1, 2012 with UWI Today.No Longer in the ShadowsOur time to shine, says new DeanIn terms of the separation of the Faculties (the Faculty of Science and Agriculture becomes a Faculty of Food and Agriculture and a Faculty of Science and Technology from August 1, 2012), what jumps out at you as the most obvious benets? I believe that these new Faculties will have their own priorities and vision and will be able to focus on their particular strategic objectives and goals. We will no longer be in the shadow of anyone but have the opportunity to shine. What is your vision for the Faculty under your deanship? First of all, I need to acknowledge the tremendous eort of Professor Dyer Narinesingh, the outgoing Dean of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture and wish him all the best in his retirement. rough his eort and that of Principal Clement Sankat, these two new faculties have been created. My vision is to transform the Faculty to a rst choice faculty. Ably assisted by all sta in the FST, we will expand and strengthen the oerings in traditional science disciplines such as chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science and biological sciences. We will also develop and expand exciting and important areas in technology such as Biotechnology, Information Technology, Environmental Technology, Alternative Energy Technology and Medical Physics, to name a few. What challenges do you see? Our major challenge will be competition from other TLIs but I believe that competition is good. is would encourage us to excel in what we do. Another challenge would be declining nancial resources but this would encourage us to be more ecient and minimize wastage. Have you ever eaten cascadu? Isnt it cascadura? e sh is known by many names. In Trinidad is it called Cascadoo, Cascadu, Cascadura, Cascadoux, or Cascaradura. It is called Hassar, Hoplo, Atipa, Kwi-Kwi and Quey-Quey in South American countries. I used to eat cascadu before I did my PhD (which was on the cascadu) but having spent a lot of time in getting them to survive and grow, it is now dicult for me to eat this sh. e cascadu is my favourite sh due to its remarkable biology and very interesting behaviour, and I prefer to see the sh alive! What recommendations can you make? In the case of Trinidad and Tobago, the sheries regulations are dated (1916) and need to be revised and enacted. We need to move away from open access sheries to sheries that are regulated by use of a licensing system. ere needs to be continuous sh stock assessment and determination of total allowable catches on an annual basis. ere needs to be modication to shing gear, such as an appropriate increase in the mesh size of gill-nets and use of by-catch reduction devices in shrimp trawls, and biodegradable panels in sh pots. e gill-net and trawl sheries are the most important sheries in the country. Once new regulations have been approved and enacted, there needs to be monitoring and enforcement of these regulations.

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12 UWI TODAY SUNDAY 29TH JULY, 2012 ENERGY CAMPUS HISTORY e sprawling student residence at St Johns Road is to be named aer Sir Arthur Lewis (1915-1991), the rst Vice-Chancellor of e UWI. ough Lewis spent only ve years of his remarkable career at UCWI/UWI, he will always be associated with the regional University. He was the rst West Indian Principal of the University College of the West Indies (1959-62) and the rst Vice-Chancellor (1962-63) when UWI received its independence from London University in 1962. Even before he was ocially appointed UCWI Principal, Lewis took part in the nal arrangements for the merger of ICTA (Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture) with UCWI, thus creating the second campus at St. Augustine. A photograph on page 43 of my From Imperial College to University of the West Indies shows him, with ICTA and UCWI ocials, on the steps of the Administration Building aer discussions in March 1959. In July of that year he met in London with Sir Jock Campbell and other members of ICTAs Governing Board to nalise the merger. So when the ocial handover of ICTA to UCWI took place in Port of Spain on October 12, 1960, Lewis could take pride in having helped to make the new campus and its ready-made Faculty of Agriculture a reality. He gave the speech of the day at the ceremony, likening the merger to the marriage of a boy of twelve and a mature lady of fortythe boy would need to be willing to learn and the lady to be tolerant. As UCWI Principal and UWI Vice-Chancellor, Lewis brought his enormous prestige as a scholar and development economist to the service of the still fledgling regional University. e student residence at St. Johns R oad, which is to be named aer Sir Arthur L ewis.PHOTO: ARTHUR SUKBIRthis period he also served as the UN Economic Adviser to Ghanas Prime Minister, Kwame Nkrumah, and helped to write that countrys rst development plan. Lewis was recruited from Manchester to serve UCWI as its rst West Indian Principal in 1959. Aer leaving UWI in 1963the year he was knightedhe went to Princeton University, where he stayed until his retirement in 1983. He took a break from academia, however, in 1970-74, when he set up the Caribbean Development Bank and served as its rst President. In 1979, his distinguished and pioneering research on economic development was recognized by the award of the Nobel Prize for Economics. He was the rst black person to win a Nobel Prize in any category other than Peace; the rst Caribbean person to win one in a category other than Literature; and the rst person from the English-speaking Caribbean to win one in any category. Several buildings or institutions have been named for Arthur Lewis. ere is the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in his native St Lucia (in whose grounds he was buried when he died in 1991); the Arthur Lewis Building at the University of Manchester where he spent ten immensely productive years; and of course our Universitys Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social & Economic Studies (SALISES). In naming our newest student residence aer him, we at St Augustine can also recall that we designated 2008 as the Year of Sir Arthur Lewispart of a three-year celebration of the three Nobel Laureates from the English-speaking Caribbean. Born in St Lucia, he had received his BSc and PhD degrees at the London School of Economics (LSE) just before World War II. He taught at LSE for some years, then moved as a full professor to the University of Manchester in 1948, at the remarkably early age of 33. It was at Manchester (1948-58) that Lewis took up development economics, then a fairly new field in the discipline, publishing his famous 1954 article Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labour and his 1955 book, e eory of Economic Growth. During Our L aureateBY PROFESSOR BRIDGET BRERETONSir Arthur L ewisBridget Brereton is Emerita Professor of History and author of the 2010 From Imperial College to e University of the West Indies. She has been writing this series of articles giving the background to the buildings that have been named aer members of the university community.

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SUNDAY 29TH JULY, 2012 UWI TODAY 13 ENERGY CAMPUS NEWS Because it is largely ignored in its native Trinidad and Tobago as a lowly drain sh, many are surprised to discover that the common guppy forms the basis of entire careers for many international biologists. Guppies and their close relativesmollies, platies and swordtailsare members of the family Poeciliidae and share the unusual ability among sh to give birth to live young instead of laying eggs. Poeciliids have earned notoriety for their insatiable sex drive and intriguing reproductive practices, as well as their ability to invade new environments. As a result, several species, including the guppy, are now found on every continent apart from Antarctica, having been released as unwanted pets or in eorts to eradicate mosquito larvae. e 5th International Conference of Poeciliid Biologists took place at e UWI in June 2012 and was chaired by Professor Indar Ramnarine of the Department of Life Sciences. e conference united academics from throughout the globe, including Australia, the USA, Canada, Mexico and many European countries such as England, Scotland, Norway, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain. As the home of the guppy, Trinidad provided an ideal venue for the rst of these biennial conferences to be held outside of Europe. Although many will nd it incredible that a conference on something as specic as poeciliids exists at all, the truth is that these sh are used widely as model species. is means they are used to test theories in a wide range of biological disciplines, including genetics, evolutionary biology, invasion ecology, cancer research and animal behaviour. The colourful males, impressive anti-predator behaviours and dramatic dierences between populations mean that these sh are perfect for studying evolutionary biology; in fact some of the best evidence we have of evolution in action comes from studies of Trinidadian guppies. Invited keynote speakers included three of the worlds most renowned poeciliid biologists. Professor Anne Magurran of the University of St Andrews opened the rst session with a fascinating historical overview of guppy science in Trinidad, beginning with its supposed discovery by Robert John Lechmere Guppy in 1866 and the subsequent use of the Northern Range as a natural laboratory which continues into the present day. Professor David Reznick of the University of California, Riverside, theorised about the origin of the poeciliid ability to give birth to live young, oering a fascinating evolutionary genetics perspective. On the nal day, the audience was wowed by Professor Jens Krause of Humboldt University in Berlin, and his use of guppies and robotic sh to explain swarm behaviour and intelligence in a whole range of speciesincluding humans, and its application to management strategies. e conference concluded with a series of exciting eldtrips designed to give delegates a true taste of Trinidad including turtle watching at Matura, a trip to Asa Wright and a swim at Maracas followed by bake and shark (although being ecologically responsible sh biologists, bake and kingsh was the preferred dish!). Finally, delegates enjoyed a spectacular hike up the Turure River, which ended at a series of beautiful waterfalls... It was a real treat to snorkel with wild guppies in the pools, watching the famous courtship behaviours that many of the visiting academics had only ever seen in laboratory sh tanks. Delegates were certainly impressed: Professor Craig Sargent of the University of Kentucky thought the conference was simply incredible in every respect, from the overall organization, the talks, the food, the eld trips, the artwork, the hospitality. e organisers sincerely hope that this was the representative view of other delegates and are condent that the taste of Trinidad they provided will encourage many future international collaborations in the eld of poeciliid researchan exciting and productive area of scientic pursuit that Trinidad is uniquely positioned to support. Dr Amy Deacon, deputy chair of the conference, is part of the Fish Behaviour and Biodiversity Research Group at the Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, UK. She is currently based at the Department of Life Sciences, UWI, St. Augustine. Your Guppys really a StarB Y DR AMY DEACON Participants at the e 5th International Conference of Poeciliid Biologists at UWI, St. Augustine in June 2012. PHOTO: NIGEL NORIEGAAmong the eld trips for participants was a trip to T urure R iver, with a refreshing stop at Haskins Falls. PHOTO: AMY DEACON (COVER PHOTO OF MATING GUPPIES: SEAN EARNSHAW)

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14 UWI TODAY SUNDAY 29TH JULY, 2012 ENERGY CAMPUS NEWSThe rapid evolution of computerized technology makes it mandatory to properly utilize this scientic knowledge within the health care system. This can be achieved by the use of the famous internet, world wide web and social networking. Widespread use of computerized Smart System programs involving specialty and sub-specialty fields of medicine can be used by physicians. In addition, the development of a universal medical secure server in which all patient records are stored should be created. Facebook and Twitter are websites whereby the physician can directly interact with patients. Doctors can expand patient care without the burden of physically administering medical attention, while patients gain valuable advice for problems they have. Higher quality of doctor-patient relations can thus be cultivated. Currently, medical professionals from all over the world can now attend clinical conferences for patient care discussions without leaving their individual practices, eg via the use of Skype. Protable information from these professionals who Abigail Perreira, a Year ree student reading for the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme at e UWI, was selected as a Scholar/Essay winner by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). e prestigious journal celebrates its 200th anniversary this year and among the events marking the milestone was an essay competition which received thousands of submissions, a fraction of which were selected for publication. Abigail was invited to the symposium, Dialogues in Medicine at the Harvard Medical University, Boston, in June on the basis of her essay, Harnessing Technology to Improve Health Care. e dialogues focused on HIV/AIDS, Breast Cancer, Maternal and Foetal Health and Cardiology. Saying she felt honoured to be mentored in this way, the mother of a boy just about to enter primary school, said that since she was his age she knew she wanted to be a doctor. e speakers encouraged and challenged us, the NEJM Scholars, to pursue new research in medicine and to collectively make new discoveries in our respective fields. We definitely accepted that challenge since at the end of the day we had already formed an online group where we can discuss our research ideas in order to bring our own essays to reality. e physicians emphasized the importance of perseverance, passion and determination as keys to success, she said. My mother made it a daily habit of telling me I could do anything in this world and be anything I wanted to be. Her words of encouragement have always resonated in my mind and so far I followed my passion, she said as she praised UWI lecturers, whom she says have been truly dedicated in providing us with an exceptional education. I denitely intend on specializing aer I graduate, because there is always a demand for continuing medical education. As to exactly what eld of specialty, Im not quite sure, since I indeed would like to explore all options before I make my nal decision. Abigail declares she is having the best time of her life, with peers who are like family, teachers who care, her own close family, passion for her eld, and international recognition. Here is the essay which was published by NEJM (http:// nejm200.nejm.org/essay/harnessing-technology-to-improvehealth/)Abigail Perreira with Dr Jerey Drazen, E ditor-in-Chief of the NEJM. Shes a N ew E ngland Journal of Medicine ScholarMed Sci students essay selected by journal for 200th anniversaryotherwise may not have ever met in person can be integrated and focused for the successful diagnosis, treatment and management of a patient. X-rays, CT scans and MRIs from one hospital can also be sent via internet email to a doctor or even a hospital on the other side of the world for case review. Computerized Smart Systems for specialties like cardiology, paediatrics or even minor surgery, which contains various step by step procedures involving diagnostics methods, treatment and patient care can be created and made more accessible to junior physicians, nurses and other health personnel not yet fully trained in the particular eld. It therefore suggests that information otherwise esoteric could be made available to health workers. In every country, there is always the demand for delivering much needed medical aid to those impoverished in society. As such the number of patients that can be better treated by the available health care professionals in rural or remote communities will be multiplied. The patient thus gains much needed special attention that otherwise may not have been available owing to a paucity of specialists. In my point of view a universal medical/health care secure server should be created, one in which doctors can access condential medical history and details of every patient globally. This will enhance efciency of treatment since no matter where a person is located in the world his/her records can be accessed by licensed medical professionals especially if he/she is in an emergency situation. This reduces errors of uncertainty and misdiagnosis that can result in fatality. Global hospital networking can greatly improve the lives of millions. Along with this comes the enormous responsibility of patient condentiality and as such a great deal of nances is required to be invested in the security of this server of the future. However, benets will outweigh initial sacrices. In conclusion, with technology of the internet, doctors develop a closer relationship with patients, medical Smart Systems and globalized hospital networking can deliver better, more efcient health and patient care.HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE HEALTHBY ABIGAIL P ERREIRAe University of the West Indies NEJM Scholar

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SUNDAY 29TH JULY, 2012 UWI TODAY 15 ENERGY SPORTFirst Female Chef de Mission A T T H E OLY MPICSCB: O nly a few days left before the big event, how do you feel? AK: ese are exciting times and I am really excited, perhaps just as excited as the athletes. is is my rst Olympics experience, and I think that for anybody, whether athlete or administrator, being able to represent your country at the Olympics is an honour and I am honoured to be chosen to be Chef de Mission of the Team T&T. CB: What will be the role of the Chef once you leave with the team? AK: We have a lot of bright young athletes, they know what they are doing, they know what theyre about and theyre focused. Its no longer a question of only depending on athletes talent. For example, someone like Cleopatra Borrell-Brown, you never have to ask Cleo whether or not shes eating correctly or going to bed on time. ese athletes are so disciplined that really, your role as an administrator is to facilitate things so that they are comfortable; that they have the amenities they need in order to perform at their best. Your role is not so much to discipline and manage as in the past, its mostly about facilitation. CB: Y ouve just completed the Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Management. How do you think the courses within the programme have aected your life and performance as a sport administrator and now Chef de Mission to a national O lympic team? AK: Before the Post Graduate Sports Management programme I felt I was a reasonably good administrator. Im on the Olympic Committee (of Trinidad and Tobago), Ive been the manager of many teams over many years especially for Hockey and Ive been a member of the Hockey Board for 10 years, both as a manager and secretary and Ive always felt that I was pretty capable. e UWI/FIFA/CIES Post Graduate programme has enhanced everything Ive done. Its made me look at sport in a more analytical way. Now that Ive gone on to do research its important that we take that analytical approach in every aspect of sport, especially where data collection is concerned. Even as Secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Hockey Board I only now realize the paucity of data available to us, and there is really no reason why in this day and age, with the advancement of technology that we should not be able to have access to data ten or twenty years prior. e Sport Management programme made you start to focus on the things that are important; for example, the Law Module, you now have a dierent way of looking at your contracts or your constitution, whereas in the past you took things for granted or you passed it on to a lawyer. I can now sit in a meeting and make critical comments and contributions. CB: Do you believe that The UWI has anything to oer our Caribbean region in terms of a Sports Management and Administration that ts? AK: I think sport has not had the respect that it has demanded, maybe because so much of the activities and administration in the past have been ad hoc. Its mostly been dependent on whether or not you had a good person behind the desk. e Post Graduate Sports Management Programme provides people with knowledge consistently coming out of the University. It will not happen overnight, but within ve years at least, you will have more and more people who have the necessary knowledge to take sport to the desired standard. CB: What do you see as the trend for sport administrators? AK: e athletes that we have out there are professionals. Very oen our athletes are more organized and have their planning sorted more than the people who are doing the administrative work. So sometimes we go o to games and you have the managers with the attitude that I am the manager and they are not assisting or are unable to assist the athletes because the athletes are so far ahead of them. Our athletes are progressing but our managers and administrators are not. is programme can help people who want to manage teams. Its not simply about carrying water or organizing uniforms or because you can get a few sponsors. Management is about keeping data on the athlete, proling them, being able to intelligently speak with the athletes regarding nutrition or counselling, and so on. CB: I s there anything youd like to say to Team T&T and to Trinidad before heading o to London 2012? AK: As you rightly said, Trinidad and Tobago is going to the London Olympics as a team. Oen people think its only athletics or that we have a swimmer or a shooter. We are going with six disciplines. One of the reasons we are having a pre Games camp is to build the team. Its tense out there, everybody wants to win. It will really make a dierence if Team T&T felt that well be there as a team and there for each other and this is not only the athletes but managers, administrators the medical team, etc. We are building Team T&T over the next two or three weeks and when we arrive at the Games I believe we will be a force to be reckoned with. Coordinator of the FIFA/CIES PG Sport Management Programme, Charisse Broomes, talks to Annette Knott, the rst female Chef de Mission accompanying the T&T Olympic team to London. Annette Knott knows exactly where she is going. PHOTO: CHARISSE BROOMES